Spring-Time Contest!

Easter will be on Sunday, Mar 31 this year and in honoring that "date" (March 31) I am holding this contest.

In the past 50 or so years, this "date" was historical from a numismatic standpoint, being a key "date" so to speak. For this contest there will be two parts:

1) Tell me the date of this occurrence and write a paragraph or paper on it. Cite your sources if you write something that uses references, and be mindful of copyrights... i.e. make this your own effort and not a cut and paste job.

2) Add an "easter egg" in your response. The most creative placement of an easter egg will have a special prize given also (make the easter egg numismatically related).

I am the sole judge of the winning entry and the prizes will be as follows:

1) Main prize for the winning "entry" (#1, above) will either a U.S. Mint official Lincoln Cents 1909-1973 Book (U.S. address only, shipping by media mail) or a circulated US War Nickel (my date choice) (outside US only --- subject to shipping restrictions). This ensures that nearly anyone on CT, can enter the contest, and only those living in Non-US countries where it is impermissible to ship a US nickel to will be left out.

2) Second prize given will be for the the numismatically related "easter egg" I like the best (creativity counts) and will be a circulated 2009 Fort Worth printed $1 bill with the serial number E75555055A and a circulated 2006 $1 bill with the serial number B03358987* (star note).

Note, although I don't expect any variation from the event I am thinking of, if by some chance someone comes up with a different numismatic occurrence for that date, I will include it as acceptable. So you don't have to worry if you don't come up with the one I'm thinking of.

Contest closes on Easter at 6pm Pacific Time (U.S). Have fun and good luck!

 

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Can you give me an example of this "easter egg" you are talking about. I am a little confused. Thanks for this contest! I love numismatic research and like writing papers.

 

According to Wiki, "An Easter egg is an intentional hidden message, inside joke, or feature in a work .... chip art, including images, phrases, developer initials, logos, and so on".

Numismatically, there are or might be some easter eggs from mint designer Frank Gasparro. Some people have Ike dollars that show a "golfer" on the moon, next to Gasparro's initials. Some people say he put it there and others say it's an anomaly that just "looks" like a person golfing, but either way, it's a hidden object not supposedly designed or normally found on that, or shouldn't be. Hidden Initials and Names also can be easter eggs, if they are incorporated into a design so that it is a surprise to "find" it. In pictures, an easter egg might be another picture showing up or a surprise message if you put your curser over an object.

I don't know what people will come up with on easter eggs since some of the things easter eggs are most associated with probably can't be done just by posting here. But it will be neat to see what people do creatively if they challenge themselves to attempt to "conceal" something unexpected (keep it 50's tv standards, folks) in their entries.

 

My Submission! Hope you enjoy and catch the "easter egg"!

On March 31, 1988, the West Point US Coin Mint officially gained the status of branch mint. This made West Point the most modern official mint in existence. Being located nearby to the West Point Military Academy, the mint was built in the state of New York in 1937. Like Fort Knox is today, the mint was known as the West Point Bullion Depository upon opening and housed more silver than any other US mint. Although West Point is known mostly today for storing gold, and minting commemorative and bullion
coins, small cents were minted there for thirty-five years. The building itself is rather large (40 sq. ft. short of being 1 full acre), and is one story high with reinforced concrete walls. For security measures, the mint has a guard turret at each of its four corners.
Lincoln cents were produced at West Point from 1973 to 1986 without a mint mark so they are
indistinguishable from the Philadelphia cents. Bicentennial Washington Quarters were also minted there.
It is a fact West Point was known as "The Fort Knox of Sliver", however it housed up to $20 million worth
of gold in the early 1980's. In September of 1983 the famous "W" appeared on the 1984 $10 Olympic
Commemorative. As of now, all gold proof coins, ASE proofs, and Gorilla and Chimpanzee proof coins
are minted at West Point.
This easter Sunday will coinside with a major date in numismatic history. March 31, 2013 will
also mark the 25th anniversary of the West Point US Coin Mint officially gaining status as a United States
branch mint.

Info taken from http://www.usacoinbook.com/encyclopedia/coin-mints/west-point/.

This was very interesting! Thanks again!

 

Submission PM'ed. Thanks for the cool contest!!

 

Kasia, are we supposed to PM you our answers or post them here in this thread?

Anyway, thanks for the cool contest. :yes:

 

"Spring" has a different meaning for us Minnesotans. There is still a foot of snow on the ground here and a six foot icicle on the front of my house. But I know what you mean. :greensmile: Thanks for the contest!

 

You can do either.

 

Okay, Kasia, thanks. :yes:

 

Kasia, PM sent. I hope you'v received it and like it. :hail:
Thanks again for the cool contest.

By the way, how many entries per member?
I'd like to submit a second if I'm allowed.

 

Ok... each person can do two entries if they want.

 

Okay, Kasia, thanks again. I'll PM you my second entry soon.

 

Second submission sent by PM. Hope you like it, Kasia. :hail:
Thanks again for this cool contest, Kasia.

 

pm sent

 

Happy Easter all! I take it the contest is over. Can't wait to hear the results. Will you post the winning entry for everyone to read, please?

 

Thanks for the entries. Will have to read them and decide. I got some good ones, for sure. If the person I choose as winner sent theirs by PM I will ask them before I post it.

 

Thanks for the entries. Will have to read them and decide. I got some good ones, for sure. If the person I choose as winner sent theirs by PM I will ask them before I post it.

 

Contest winners:

(note: it was so difficult to pick a clear winner, but I did my best):

Winner of the paragraph/essay is: Jay(and all those numbers)....
Winner of the 'easter egg' is Miedbe7

And a special prize to ebunny for being so informative in his entry. He brought in a lot of facts I had no Idea about. Thank you. I will find something to send to you, too.

Please PM your addys to me so I can get the prizes out.

Thank you, everyone!

 

Sweet! Thanks so much for the contest Kasia! Congrats to Jay4202472000 and ebunny! PM will be sent in a minute.

 

Thank you, Kasia, for holding this really cool contest, and for the special prize!! :hail:

I really enjoyed doing the research for this contest, and learned a lot myself just by participating.

Kasia, it's okay with me if you'd like to post my entries in this thread. I'd like to share what I've learned with the rest of the community if they're interested. :smile

Congratulations to Jay and Michael, too, for winning the main and 'Easter Egg' prizes respectively.